Thistle eradicator



Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

tamis LOUIS MAYER, 0F 'KAUKAUNIL VISCONSN, ASSIG-NOR T0 KAUKAUNA MACHINEWORKS, OF KAUKAUNA, TWIS(`J( l\TSII\T, A CORPORATION 0F WISCONSIN.

THISTLE ERADICATOR.

Application filed February 24,1920. Serial No. 361,046.

ToV all whom` t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Louis Mavim, a citi- Zen of the United States, andresident of Kaulrauna, in the county of Outagamie and State ofWisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in ThistleEradicators, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisspecification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inthistle eradicators and has for one of its objects to provide a thistleeradicator `which will be of comparatively light but durableconstruction, and eihcient in opera-tion.

Another object of thisinvention is to pro vide means for readilyadjusting the distance between the thistle removing member and theground which will comprise ay few parts but which will be of eiiicientconstruction.

A further object of my invention is' to provide improved means foroperatively connecting and disconnecting the thistle eradicatordrivegearffrom' the main drive gear.

`With the above and other objects ineview which willappear asthedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction,combinationand arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be .made as come within the scope-of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing I have illus trated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to thebestmode I haveso far dew vised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in which:

Figurev 1 is a `sideelevation of my improved machine,'the wheel nearestthe observer being removed, and parts being broken away to'moreclearlyillustrate structural details. i i j j Figure 2 is an enlargedfragmentary perspective view illustrating the means I employ foradjusting the elevation of the cornb members and for moving the carryingside arms horizontally to VAengage and disengage the vcomb driving gearfrom the main gear, said view having parts broken away and in section. fFigure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the means I employ formaintaining the comb gear and the drive gear in either operative orinoperative engagement, and

Figure 4; is a detail sectional View through one of the comb carryingside arms and bearing members said view being taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2.

My invention may be said to broadly consist of wheeled meanshaving acomb carrying frame mounted thereon, gear means for drivingly connectingthe comb carried by said frame with a driven wheel7 means for moving theside members forming said frame horizontally to connect and disconnectsaid gears, comb cleaning members having means for positively moving thesame along the comb ysurface once every revolution to remove foreignmatter therefrom,.and means for adjusting the elevation of theouter endof said frame to position the comb members with respect to the ground.

My device is supported by means of a pair of wheels 10 revolublyjournalled on shaft spindles 11 carried by a main axle member 12 havingthills 13 secured thereto in any desired manner. The thills 13 areconnected by means of a transverse member 14 forming, with the axle 12,a frame on which is mounted a drivers seat 15. Journalled on eachspindle 11 inward of the adjacent wheel 10 is a bearing block 16 havingan elongated rearwardly extending support 16 slidably secured to a sidearm 17, forming a part of the comb carrying frame, by means of asecuring member 18.

The side ,arms 17 are each provided with two horizontally alignedelongated apertures 19 and 20 through which pass the axle spind le 111and the securing member 18 respective y.

This structure permits the outer free end 21 of each side arm 17 to bemoved toward or away from the axle spindle 11, and this horizontalmovement of the side arm 17 is controlled by means of a rod or shaft 22journalled in bearing brackets 23 carried by the axle 12. Crank arms 24Eare formed on the ends of said shaft and are engaged in curved recesses25 formed in that portion of the side arms forward of the axle spindle11. The shaft 22 is rotated by means of a hand lever 26 and is adaptedto be held in either one of two adjustments, one with the ends 21 of theside arms 17 spaced. from the axle, and vice versa, by means of abracket member 27 pro-vided with notches 28 in Which the lever 26 isselectively engaged. This horizontal movement, or extension, of the sidearms 17 is effective to engage and disengage the driving gears to be.later described.

Secured to each side arm 17 near its outer free end 21 is a member 29 inwhich is journaled the adjacent end of a shaft 30. Said shaft hassecured to its portion intermediate the members 29 reel heads 31carrying comb members 32. The comb members and reel heads may be of anydesired construction and thecomb 'mem-bers are preferably provided withcleaning means in* clu'ding cleaner bars 33 carried by operating levers234 pivotally carried by the reel heads and operable once every completerevolution of the adjacent comb to sweep the comb and remove foreignmatter therefrom.

Thev shaft 30, and with it the reel heads and combs, is adapted to berotated from the wheels 10 and has secured to each end thereof a gearwheel 35 provided with an internal differential mechanism (not shown)connecting the same with the shaft. The gear Wheel 35 is engageable witha main drive gear 36 rigid with the adjacent wheel 10, and said gearsare movable to engaging and disengaging positions by the horizontalmoving of the side arms 17. `With the lever 26 in the position depictedin Figures 1 and 3, the gears 35 and 36 will be in mesh and .when thewheels 10 are rotated, the combs 32 will be rotated in the direction ofthe arrowin Figure 1, and when the lever 26 is engaged in the othernotch 28, the gears will be disengaged and the revolution of the gears36 will not impart any movement to the combs. As before stated the gears35 contain differential means for connecting the same to the shaft 30whereby the turning of the machine, where one wheel 10 revolves fasterthan the other wheel 10, will not in any manner injure the device.

The combs 32 are adapted to be adjusted vertically to arrange them atvarious heights with respect to the ground by means of a tubular shaft37 journalled in bearings 38 carried by the axle 12 and having securedyin eachend thereof as at 39 a rearwardly extending crank arm 40. Theextreme outer ends of the crank arms 40 are pivotally connected with theside members 17 by means of links 41 pivotally connected as at 42 to thecrank arms 40 and pivotally connected as at 43 tov the side arms 17.

vThe shaft 38 is adapted to be rotated by means of a hand crank 44operating a worm gear 45 secured to the lower end thereof and in meshwith a segmental gear 46 xed to'the shaft 37. The lower end of the handcrank 44 carrying the worm gear 45 is pivotedin a bracket member 47carried by the frame formed by the inner ends of the thills, the axle 12and the member 14. As

will be obvious, when the outer endsof the cranks 40 are raised thedistance between the combs 32 and the ground will be increased and whenthe cranks are lowered the distance will be decreased.

As best shown in Figure 1, a suitable guard or shield 4S is carried bythe frame formed by the inner ends of the thills, the axle and themember 14 and extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom rearwardly of thedriver seat to protect the driver from the clogs of earth, etc., apt tobe thrown upwardly by the'thistles or thel like caught by said combmembers.

That I claim as my invention is:

1. A machine of the class described, com-V members for disconnectingsaid operating.

means. l

2. A machine of the class described, comprising a supporting axle,supporting wheels carried thereby, side arm members having their innerends connected with the axle and their outer ends free, said side armmembers being extensible to adjust the distance between the outer freee'nds thereof and said axle, a shaft journaled in the free ends of saidside arm members yand connecting the same, a comb member carried by saidshaft, a drive connection betweenone of the supporting-wheels and saidshaft, and means for extending said side arm'members to disengage saiddrive connection and render the comb carrying shaft inoperative.

3. A machine of the j class described,

comprising a supporting axle, supporting wheels mounted on said axle,side arm members having their inner endsadjustably supported by saidaxle and their outer 'ends free, a comb member revolublymount'ed betweenthe free ends of vsaid side arm members, a drive connection betweenAsaid comb member and one ,of the supporting wheels, and'means foradjusting the side arm members to vary the distance between their outerfree ends andthe supporting axle to iconnect and disconnect said driveconnec- -1on. Y

4. machine of the class described. comprising a supporting axle,supporting wheels mounted on said axle, side arm members having theirinner ends longitudinallyslidably mounted upon said axle and their outerends free, a comb member revolubly mounted between the i free ends ofsaid side arm members, a drive connection between said comb members andone of the supporting wheels, and means for sliding said Side armmembers longitudinally to adjust the distance between the free endsthereof and the supporting axle to connect and disconnect said driveconnection.

5. A machine of the class described, comprising a frame, supportingwheels for the frame, a side arm member extensibly carried by the frameand having its outer end free, a comb member revolubly carried by theouter free end of said side arm member, a drive connection between saidcomb member and one of the supporting wheels, and means for extendingthe side arm member to vary the ydistance between the free ends thereofand the supporting frame to disconnect said drive connection.

6. A machine of the class described, comprising a supporting axle,supporting vwheels therefor, a side arm member provided with anelongated recess through which the axle passes, a crank member havingits inner end journaled on said axle `juxtaposed to said side armmember, fasten ing means carried by the outer end of said crank arm andslidably engaging a longitudinally extending slot in said side armmember, the outer end of said side arm member being free, a comb memberrevolubly carried by the outer free end of said side arm member, a driveconnection between one of the supporting wheels and said comb member,and means for sliding said side arm member horizontally to vary thedistance between the outer free end thereof and said supporting axle todisconnect and connect said drive connection, said sliding movementbeing limited by said elongated recess and slot.

7. A machine of the class described, comprising an axle, supportingwheels mounted thereon, a side arm member hav ing a horizontallyextending elongated recess therein adjacent its inner end and `throughwhich said axle passes, the outer end of said side arm member beingfree, a comb member revolubly carried by the outer free end of said sidearm member, a drive connection between said comb member and one of thesupporting wheels, the portion of the inner end of said side arm memberinwardly of the axle having an arcuate slot therein, a crank armengageable in said slot, and means for rotating said crank arm to extendand retract said side arm member, to connect and disconnect the driveVconnection between said comb member and the supporting wheel.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

LOUS MAYER.

